what he didn't know, what no one in america knew, was that halfway around the world in south africa, he was more popular than elvis or the beatles. he'd never been there, and no one there knew anything about him. even when word spread that he had died, his records continued to sell. then, four years ago, a young swedish filmmaker heard about rodriguez, and decided to shoot a documentary about him. as bob simon discovered, the film is now captivating audiences across the country, and has been short-listed for an academy award. it's released by sony pictures classics and it's called "searching for sugar man." ♪ ♪ ♪ sugar man won't you help me ♪ because i'm tired of these scenes ♪ >> simon: the film shows rodriguez's old neighborhood in downtown detroit and the smoky bar where, back in the late '60s, he was discovered by dennis coffey, a legendary motown producer. >> dennis coffey: we thought he was like the inner city poet, you know, putting his poems to music of what he saw. and it was definitely a very gritty look at what he saw on the streets of detroit. the only writer th